Know You By Heart
by DaniMyself
Summary: The change of seasons in the lives of Scorpius Malfoy and Lily Potter. Based on a Song by Eva Cassidy


Midnights in winter,  
the glowing fire lights up your face  
in orange and gold.  
I see your sweet smile  
shine through the darkness.  
Each line is etched in my memory,  
so I'd know you by heart.

I stoked the fire in the hearth, stamping my feet to keep warm. I had on thermal underwear, jeans, thick wool socks and about 3 layers of long-sleeved shirts with a scarf around my neck, but the chill permeated through every layer. I couldn't get warm fast enough. I cursed myself for not having arrived earlier, but it hadn't occurred to me that the cottage would need to be warmed up prior to our occupation.

Scorpius had wanted to get away for a long weekend. His training had been taking much of his time and he felt badly about "neglecting" me, as he said. I assured him I understood, that his Curse-Breaking classes needed his full attention, but he wasn't having it. He insisted we take a few days and hole up someplace. His first suggestion was a posh island cabana, but I imagine he thought better of that when he remembered the previous summer.

We'd gone to Barbados with his family for a week's holiday. I had applied sun block but it didn't occur to me or anyone to put a sun block CHARM on myself. I guess the Malfoy's were used to vacationing in the tropics, for they were never burnt; the charm must've just been a routine thing. I, however, had never been anywhere with any amount of sun, so I just bought some SPF 30 at an Umbrella Rental stand and thought it would be enough.

It wasn't.

I was red and blistered by the end of the first day, and didn't even realize it was happening. It was so painful, but Scorpius owled a family friend who worked in the Burn Unit at St. Mungo's, and was sent the spell for burn relief and healing. Thank goodness I hadn't ruined the entire vacation, but I wasn't itching to go back to a hot and sunny spot anytime soon. Scorpius must've realized this and suggested we rent a comfy cabin in the woods.

However, my family had a cottage just outside Godric's Hollow, deep enough in the woods that we wouldn't be bothered, but close enough to civilization that if we needed anything, it wouldn't be too much trouble to find it. Scorpius was very enthused about it, so we'd made plans to meet there on a Thursday evening in mid December, after we'd both gotten out of our respective classes.

So here I was, freezing to death because I hadn't thought to either get there earlier or have someone come before me to warm the cottage up. I was mad at myself and was taking it out on a log that wouldn't ignite when I heard the crack of someone Apparating into the room. I turned to him.

Scorpius was wearing the heavy wool coat I'd gotten him for his birthday in September. It was nicely cut; waist-length, smooth lines, no pleats, just a shiny silver zipper, silver cuff buttons and a fold-over collar. He wore it over a beige knit mock-turtle neck sweater, a pair of dark wash, straight leg blue jeans, and square-toed black modern loafers. He took my breath away daily, he was so dashing. Just like a Wizards Quarterly cover model. I returned his smirk as he shrugged off his coat and threw it expertly towards the coat rack, never looking away from me.

"It's chilly, Lily," he drawled, walking towards me.

"You're a poet, and you didn't know it," I joked, staying still, making him come to me. He snorted as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Pfft. Is that some of your silly Muggle humor?" he said, unraveling the scarf from my neck. I halted his hand while chuckling. He scowled at me as I rewrapped my neck.

"Like you said, it's chilly in here," I smiled, cocking an eyebrow in challenge. He smirked again and pulled my abundant auburn hair up and away from my face. Scorpius had taken to wearing a hair elastic around his wrist because I was forever losing them and always needing them. He pulled it from his wrist now and secured my hair in a ponytail, then dipped his head to nuzzle his nose on my neck, just below my left ear. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his breath against my skin, tilting my head to the side to afford him a larger expanse of skin. I felt his left hand creep up my sweater, then stall as he felt only more material. He tried again, pulling up the second layer to reveal yet another shirt. I laughed as he pulled away and pulled on my clothes.

"By gods, Lil, how many layers are you wearing?" he asked with raised eyebrows. I pulled his face back down to mine, eying his lips.

"Not nearly enough," I breathed, "I'm still cold. Warm me up, good sir?" I kissed him lightly, then looked up at him through my eyelashes. The look in his eyes was sexy fierce, and as he made to slowly unwind the scarf again, I allowed him, never taking my eyes from his.

A few hours later, the cottage was minutely warmer, and Scorpius and I were clothed again and huddled under an enormous Weasley quilt together on the hearth rug, sipping my mum's famous Hot Cocoa. It was one of Scorpius' favorite guilty pleasures, and I liked to treat him to it every so often. I scooted so I was facing him and smiled over my steaming mug.

"This was a really terrific idea, Scorp," I said, taking a sip. He winked at me, running a Quidditch-callused hand through his pale hair.

"I'm so glad we did this," he agreed. "I missed you terribly. We don't get nearly enough time together." Scorpius leaned against the hearth, propping his elbow and motioning for me to tuck myself into his arm. I did so gladly, looking up at him with a smile. The sun was setting, casting an orange-red glow through the window. It illuminated Scorpius from the back, making his pale blond hair look bronze and giving him a generally Adonis-like aura. He was so handsome, and I felt so much for him that I found it hard to contain myself. I wanted to go shouting from the rooftops how much I loved this man. But I hadn't even told him yet, despite the many years of dating.

He smirked down at me as I stared adoringly at him.

"Stop looking so besotted, Lilybud," he teased, running his thumb over my bottom lip. I continued to look at him, though my trance was broken. I grinned and set my mug down, putting my arms around his neck and slinging a leg over his lap.

"I am besotted with you," I said. "You are one of the best men I've ever known. You're so chivalrous, polite, loving, fitter than any other bloke on earth! How could I not be stupid-besotted?"

Scorpius' eyebrows knitted together in thought, looking down into my quilt-covered lap. I frowned, thinking I'd upset him. I lifted his face up to look at me, my hand cupping his chiseled chin gently.

"Scorp? Did I upset you?" He took my hand from his chin and intertwined his fingers with mine, still not smiling but not frowning.

"You know what Amortencia is, right?" he asked. I gave him a puzzled look.

"Yes…why do you ask?"

"Have you ever smelled it?"

"No," I answered truthfully. "But I know that it's supposed to smell like the things you love best in the world, things that make you the happiest. What are you getting at, Scorp?" He pulled me closer, so that his cheek was resting against mine. He picked up his wand from the floor and flicked it.

"Accio coat," he murmured, and his coat floated from to rack to him. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a blue glass vial of liquid with a cork stopper. Leaning back, Scorpius brought it level with my nose and uncorked it, looking at me.

"Tell me what you smell, Lily," he said very seriously. I grinned at him, thinking he was being a bit silly, but did as he told me.

I breathed in, and immediately my senses of sight and smell were filled. I saw and smelled a tiny newborn from the Maternity Ward at St. Mungo's where I was interning; the Quidditch shed at my mum and dad's house, and an oddly pleasant combination of clean lemongrass and manly musk. The last smell was so familiar but no image came to mind. I stared at the bottle, puzzled, and Scorpius sought out my gaze.

"What do you smell?" I looked up at him with the same puzzled yet pleased look.

"The Maternity Ward, our Quidditch shed at home, and…" I paused, hesitating to tell him the third smell because I didn't know what it was.

"And?" he asked lightly. He ran his hand through his hair nervously, his hands shaking a bit. As he brought his arm back down, I smelled it. I pulled him to me and ran the tip of my nose along his neck as he stood very still. I inhaled deeply, smiling, and pulled away to look at him cheekily.

"And a third smell."

He exhaled the breath he'd been holding and corked the vial of Amortencia. No emotion showed on his face as he set the vial on the hearth. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Aren't you going to smell it?" I asked. He shook his head slowly.

"I already have," he stated.

"Well… aren't you going to tell me what it smells like to you?" I grabbed his hands and put them around my waist, scooting farther up his lap. He cocked an eyebrow and smirked at me.

"Tell me what your third smell is first," he said. I smiled at him and put my face back into the crook of his neck and shoulders.

"You know that lemongrass shampoo your mum brings back for you from the spa in St. Bart's?" I began slowly, running my lips across his skin as I spoke. I felt him nod. "That, combined with the smell of your skin. Sort of sweaty, sort of clean, very manly…" I trailed off as I began to kiss his neck, all the way to his ear, where I began nibble on the lobe. I felt him shiver, and he plunged his hands into my hair, which had long since come undone from its elastic. He pulled me by my hair lightly so that he could look at me. His eyes were cloudy with emotions.

"My playroom at the Manor, hot cocoa, and the cherry almond body lotion you put on after you shower… I love you."

Before I could say a word, his lips were on mine and his hands were in my hair, around my waist, everywhere. We had never been closer in mind or body than at that moment. With a flick of my wand, our clothing was gone. We didn't move from our spot by the hearth, I never moved from his arms, and we stayed there for hours, loving each other in a new way because now we both knew for certain that it was love that we were in.


End file.
